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1. National strategy

2. Media literacy and online safety through formal education

3. Promoting media literacy and online safety through non-formal and informal learning

4. Raising awareness about the risks posed by new media

National strategy

Within the National Children Rights Strategy Document and Action Plan 2013-2017 (Ulusal Çocuk Hakları Strateji Belgesi ve Eylem Planı 2013-2017) published by the Ministry of Family and social Policies, it is targeted to generalise media literacy educations.

In the 2016-2018 Strategic Plan of the Information Technologies and Communication Institution (Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu’nun 2016-2018 Stratejik Planı), the target to generalise Secure Internet use is adopted.

In the National Youth and Sport Policy Document (Ulusal Gençlik ve Spor Politikası Belgesi), under the policy area of “Disadvantaged Youth and Social Inclusion”, the target on “increasing social awareness through media, social media, Internet and education institutions to prevent abuse of the youth” is included.

Media literacy and online safety through formal education

Within the context of Increasing Opportunities in Education and Improving Technology Movement (Eğitimde Fırsatları Artırma ve Teknolojiyi İyileştirme Hareketi (FATİH)) carried out under the coordination of the Innovation and Education Technologies General Directorate, works are carried out for secure use of the new media within the framework of conscious and secure Internet use component.  In the Education Information Network (EBA) portal, there are contents on media literacy and secure use of the new media. The work on improving these contents and increasing them in number is ongoing. In the teacher training performed within the scope of FATİH Project, works for the teachers to use information technologies effectively and efficiently by nature are carried out in practice; factors of secure and conscious use of the digital media are concentrated on in the training.

Within the context of FATİH Project, the Innovation and Education Technologies General Directorate carries out works on promoting the project in practice directed at teachers and students especially in the domestic fairs and activities.  In the r&d activities performed, it was concluded that such activities have positive effect on teachers and students and the r&d activities are ongoing.  In the European Union projects carried out within the body of the Innovation and Education Technologies General Directorate and aiming to effective and efficient use of technology in education, international project preparation works are ongoing at the point of new media literacy and conscious and secure use of the new media.

The Ministry of National Education ensured taking of media literacy course in the primary education institutions as of 2007-2008 education year as an optional course and in this context, all works and processes with regard to the course are carried out in coordination with Head Council of Education and Morality and Basic Education General Directorate. In order to raise awareness in students on visual, audio and written media and to make them gain active, critical, constructive media culture, “Media Literacy” course is included in the Weekly Course Schedule of the Primary Education Institutions (Primary School and Secondary School) for 2 hours a week in the optional courses part for the 7 and 8th grades. In this way, Media Literacy course can be chosen by 7 and 8th grade secondary school students and is thought in 2 hours a week.

Promoting media literacy and online safety through non-formal and informal learning

Within the context of a cooperation protocol signed between Ministry of Education and Information and Communication Technologies Authority, as part of the MoE 2013 In-service Training Program (MEB 2013 Hizmet İçi Eğitim Planı), an education seminar was carried out on the "Fatih Project, BT and conscious, secure use of the Internet".  400 teachers and 160 education directors were provided training by trained formatter teachers in charge of the Fatih Project that were employed in 81 provinces.  Teachers who took part in the training trained more than 800.000 teachers in their province of residence on the conscious and secure use of the Internet. The goal of this training was to raise awareness on the conscious use of the Internet in all segments of society, particularly in students and parents. Moreover, the learning content was converted into online learning modules. As part of the awareness raising works, informative materials such as booklets, brochures, posters and like were prepared and to date, 6 million awareness raising documents were distributed free of charge.

To raise awareness on adult education, the General Directorate of Lifelong Learning conducted day-long seminars on “Secure use of Internet and Domestic Communication” in 81 provinces. A total of 9.388 adults attended these seminars; 10 thousand brochures were distributed.

Raising awareness about the risks posed by new media

It has been stated that, within the scope of the 2016-2019 National Cybersecurity Strategy (2016-2019 Ulusal Siber Güvenlik Stratejisi) published by the Ministry of Transport, Maritime and Communications as part of the strategic action plan "Awareness and Human Resource Development", action should be taken so as to create a culture of cybersecurity in all segments of society, from administrators of institutions to users of computers and to train people as cybersecurity specialists.

Within this framework, the following goals were identified:

• Enhancing, as part of cybersecurity, competency and awareness on coordination and inspection of institutions such as the sector regulatory authority, ministry, etc.
• Creating awareness on cybersecurity in all segments of society, supplementing the endeavors of educational institutions with awareness raising activities through written and visual media.

The National Conference on New Media Studies (2015) was held as part of the National Scientific Activities Support Program (Yurtiçi Bilimsel Etkinlik Destekleme Programı) of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBİTAK), drawing attention to risks that the usage of new media carries and a conference booklet was prepared on this issue.

The "Secure Life, Secure Internet and Social Media" protocol was signed between The Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Interior, Information and Communication Technologies Authority and Internet Development Board. Within this scope, the Ministry of Youth and Sports held conferences and seminars in 15 provinces for youth on secure use of social media and problems new media can give rise to.